Reyna Grande has spent her career turning the immigrant experience into literature, and her latest book trains that lens on the aftermath of survival. In a free online author talk Thursday, July 16, from 11 a.m. to noon, offered through the Pasadena Public Library, Grande will discuss “Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can’t Forget,” her ambitious new memoir about the hidden cost of the American Dream and the long work of healing.
Written with what reviewers describe as a blend of sophistication and raw honesty, the collection follows Grande as she reckons with living between two nations, two languages and two identities, moving from the legacy of violence in her hometown of Iguala, Mexico, to a bittersweet family trip through Europe. She asks whether stories can heal the jagged edges of a difficult childhood — and what telling them costs.
Grande knows that terrain firsthand. As a girl, she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to reunite with her family in Los Angeles, a journey she chronicled in “The Distance Between Us,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other books include the novels “Across a Hundred Mountains” and “A Ballad of Love and Glory” and the memoir “A Dream Called Home.”
The talk is presented online as part of a slate of virtual author conversations. It will be recorded for later viewing, and registration is required.
Reyna Grande will discuss “Migrant Heart” in a free online author talk Thursday, July 16, from 11 a.m. to noon, presented through the Pasadena Public Library. For more information and to register, visit cityofpasadena.net/library. Admission is free; registration required.
